Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World Chapter 1284 - 665: Breaking Finesse with Strength

"Qing Feng, my young friend."

The examiner transmitted his voice.

"No matter what secrets you hold, I shall not inquire for now. But the waters run deep in the Holy Land, take care of yourself."

Gu Sheng’s heart tightened slightly, perceiving that this senior might have already noticed some clues.

He nodded calmly, yet inwardly remained highly vigilant.

"Gu Sheng! These scoundrels are far too arrogant!"

Ling Xiao’s voice suddenly boomed in his mind, brimming with suppressed anger.

"Once the spotlight fades, I will certainly teach them a proper lesson!"

Gu Sheng’s gaze shifted to find Ling Xiao standing not far away, his handsome face contorted slightly with indignation.

"Refrain from being impulsive."

Gu Sheng replied through a transmitted voice.

"Our primary objective is not them."

"Hmph!"

Ling Xiao let out a cold snort.

"Did you not hear their words just now? After the competition concludes, they intend to make you regret your actions! Do they truly believe we are easy targets?"

Gu Sheng remained silent.

He had indeed heard those threats, even sensing several divine senses imbued with killing intent fixated upon him.

Were this in the past, he would have already...

"Gu Sheng."

Ling Xiao’s tone abruptly turned serious.

"We endure for a greater cause, but not to be trampled upon. If you continuously retreat, they will only advance further."

Gu Sheng’s eyes flickered, a deep internal string stirring gently.

Indeed, when did he, Gu Sheng, become so excessively cautious and filled with apprehension?

Just at this moment, a frigid voice pierced his ear.

"Qing Feng, do not presume that the examiner's protection assures your safety. Let's see who can shield you once the competition is concluded!"

Following the voice, Gu Sheng observed that burly Holy Land disciple glaring at him as if he were a doomed man.

"I am unfamiliar with you. Why do you target me?"

Gu Sheng questioned back through a transmitted voice.

"Why?"

The other sneered mockingly.

"What gives a nobody like yourself the audacity to believe you can overshadow our Holy Land? How dare you address me with such an attitude?"

Gu Sheng’s eyes flashed with an icy glint.

So, that was the reason. It was purely a matter of jealousy and excessive arrogance.

"Very well, exceptionally so."

Gu Sheng suddenly let out a laugh, a smile that caused the burly disciple's heart to inexplicably tremble.

"I shall remember this."

With that pronouncement, Gu Sheng ceased the transmission and disregarded the other party, though the chilling glint in his eyes persisted.

Ling Xiao acutely sensed the transformation within Gu Sheng.

"Have you discerned the truth?"

"Yes."

Gu Sheng nodded lightly, his tone eerily serene.

"Await the third round."

Merely these three plain words, yet they caused Ling Xiao’s eyes to ignite with intense anticipation.

He understood Gu Sheng too well; when an individual typically gentle and composed adopted such a tone, it frequently signaled impending severe trouble for someone.

The examination proceeded, with cultivators navigating through the array test sequentially.

Occasionally, an individual would ascend into the top ten, eliciting a round of enthusiastic cheers.

Gu Sheng and Ling Xiao’s positions remained steadfastly secure, with no one capable of challenging their standing.

"Look! Someone in the East Plaza has once again entered the top ten!"

"A mere two hundred and eighty breaths."

"Are these individuals insane? Each one surpasses the previous in speed!"

Discussions swirled amongst the cultivators present in the three plazas.

Those who had narrowly secured a spot within the top ten regarded Gu Sheng and Ling Xiao with trepidation.

"I sincerely hope they merely possess exceptional skill in arrays..."

"If they demonstrate such power in actual combat, how can we possibly contend?"

"Impossible! How could a Loose Cultivator possibly possess such abundant resources? They must undoubtedly specialize solely in arrays!"

Gu Sheng absorbed all these sentiments, a sneer forming in his heart.

He was all too aware of the thoughts occupying their minds—they harbored a desire for his weakness yet simultaneously feared his potential overwhelming strength.

"Gu Sheng."

Ling Xiao suddenly transmitted his voice.

"Direct your attention to that individual clad in blue robes within the West Plaza."

Following his gestured direction, Gu Sheng observed a youth in blue robes fixating upon him with a cold stare.

"The aura of the Blood Evil Sect."

Gu Sheng narrowed his eyes.

"It is subtle, yet undeniably present."

Ling Xiao remarked with significant implication.

Gu Sheng offered no verbal response, but internal alarms began to sound.

The involvement of the Blood Evil Sect suggested that circumstances might prove considerably more intricate than initially anticipated.

Half a day elapsed swiftly.

As the final cohort of cultivators concluded their examination, the setting sun had already painted the three grand plazas with a crimson hue.

"The second phase of the examination has concluded!"

The examiner’s commanding voice reverberated through the heavens.

"The top ten contenders for each of the three plazas have now been definitively determined."

Scattered across the plaza, thirty figures stood assembled.

Following two rigorous stages of examination, the once-thronged environment had diminished, leaving behind only these select prodigies of the Cultivation World.

Liang Yu occupied fifth place.

He eagerly observed the foremost figures, Gu Sheng and Ling Xiao, yet kept his silence.

"Rest assured."

Sensing the gaze, Ling Xiao turned, clapping Liang Yu on the shoulder with a radiant grin. "I promised to help you enter the Holy Land, and I will."

Just as Liang Yu prepared to speak, Gu Sheng, without a backward glance, started walking toward the martial arena, his demeanor so distant as if an entire world separated him from everyone else.

"Qing Feng!"

Liang Yu could not help but call out, only to be restrained by Ling Xiao.

"Don't call out."

Ling Xiao's voice lowered, a complex expression flickering in his eyes. "It's inconvenient for him to be too close to us right now."

Liang Yu knitted his brows in bewilderment, wanting to inquire further when the examiner's sharp voice echoed across the entire venue.

"The third round of the examination commences now!"

Nine individuals answered the call, stepping onto the colossal martial arena situated at the center.

The plaza instantly hushed, every eye locked onto these nine figures.

They were the cream of the crop from each plaza, and the results of this contest would decide the ten coveted Holy Land placements.

Xu Guangzhi, mingling within the group, cast repeated glances towards Gu Sheng and Ling Xiao.

Their outstanding performances in the second round had captured almost everyone's undivided attention.

He clenched his fists, his fingernails digging deeply into his palms.

What audacity did these unknowns possess, to usurp the limelight that rightfully belonged to him?